Progression from Cafeteria to<i>à la carte</i>Offending: Scottish Organised Crime Narratives

Densley, James A.; McLean, Robert; Deuchar, Ross; Harding, Simon

doi:10.1111/hojo.12304

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…For example, the violence of organised crime groups tends to be policed separately from gang violence, but in practice, some gangs evolve and gang members can be embedded within organised crime networks (Densley, 2014;Densley et al, 2019;McLean and Densley, 2020;Roks and Densley, 2020). Gang members also fulfil a number of non-violent and noncriminal roles (Fraser and Atkinson, 2014), many gang members go out of their way to avoid violence (Garot, 2010), and a fear of retaliation is often a much more important driver of conflict than the will to violence itself (Vandenbogaerde and Van Hellemont, 2016).…”

Section: Policing the "Criminologists" Gangmentioning

confidence: 99%

If crime is not the problem, crime fighting is no solution: policing gang violence in the age of abolition

Hellemont

Densley

2021

JACPR

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Purpose In their 1999 classic, Crime is Not the Problem, Zimring and Hawkins changed the way criminologists thought about crime and violence simply by forcing us to distinguish between them. In so doing, they advanced an agenda for a more effective response to the real “crime” problem in America – violence. In this short commentary, the authors apply this logic to gang research and responses. The authors argue police fall short in responding to “gangs” because researchers and policymakers have defined them in terms of criminal behaviour writ large, not the problem that really needs policing – the precise social and spatial dynamics of gang violence. The purpose of this paper is to stand on the shoulders of others who have stated violence trumps gangs when it comes to policy and practice and provide a conceptual review of the literature that captures mainstream and critical perspectives on gangs and offers both sides some common ground to start from as they contemplate “policing” gangs with or without police. Design/methodology/approach A review of the extant literature. Findings The authors stand on the shoulders of others who have stated violence trumps gangs when it comes to policy and practice, to provide a conceptual review of the literature that captures mainstream and critical perspectives on gangs, in North American and European contexts, and offers both sides some common ground to start from as they contemplate “policing” gangs with or without police. Originality/value The paper is a conceptual piece looking at policing gang violence versus gang crime. The paper aims to restart the debate around the role of crime in gangs and gangs in crime. This debate centres around whether gangs should be understood as primarily criminal groups, whether “the gang” is to blame for the crime and violence of its members and what feature of collective crime and violence designate “gangness”. We use that debate to reflect past and current police practices towards gangs.

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Section: Policing the "Criminologists" Gangmentioning

confidence: 99%

If crime is not the problem, crime fighting is no solution: policing gang violence in the age of abolition

Hellemont

Densley

2021

JACPR

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“…British criminologists have often struggled with and contested the concept of the gang, focusing instead on youth formations and subcultures. However, building on earlier findings (Pitts, 2008), recent research has indicated that not only is the existence of street gangs a reality in many UK cities, but that gang life is evolving in some contexts (Densley, 2014;Densley et al, 2018;McLean, 2017). Densley (2014, p.22) highlights that recreation, crime, enterprise and governance represent 'actualization stages through which gangs progress' in London, and alludes to similar evolution processes emerging in cities like Manchester.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I Get More in Contact with My Soul’: Gang Disengagement, Desistance and the Role of Spirituality

Deuchar¹

2019

Youth Justice

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This article explores the links between gangs, masculinity, religion, spirituality and desistance from an international perspective. It presents insights from life history interviews conducted with a small sample of 17 male reforming gang members in Denmark who had become immersed in a holistic spiritual intervention programme that foregrounded meditation, yoga and dynamic breathing techniques. Engagement with the programme enabled the men to begin to perform broader versions of masculinity, experience improved mental health and well-being and develop a greater commitment to criminal desistance. Links with religious and spiritual engagement are discussed, and policy implications for the UK gang context included.

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It’s the Scheme that Binds Us

McLean

Densley

2020

Scotland’s Gang Members

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Progression from Cafeteria toà la carteOffending: Scottish Organised Crime Narratives

Cited by 8 publications

References 52 publications

If crime is not the problem, crime fighting is no solution: policing gang violence in the age of abolition

If crime is not the problem, crime fighting is no solution: policing gang violence in the age of abolition

‘I Get More in Contact with My Soul’: Gang Disengagement, Desistance and the Role of Spirituality

It’s the Scheme that Binds Us

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